LGBTQ+ Helpline | “Interline, good evening”

In the middle of the night, Interligne workers, a listening line for the LGBTQ+ population, support people in distress. On March 31, this night service risks disappearing due to lack of funding. The Press spent a few hours there.

1:13 a.m., in the middle of a night in March. The telephone rings in the offices of Interligne, in the east of the Plateau-Mont-Royal. At the end of the line, a man in tears. Her life has just been turned upside down due to an episode of domestic violence on the part of her spouse.

“Are you safe right now, both at home and in your head?” asks Olivier, the worker on duty.

In the imposing silence of the night, Olivier nods, headset on his ears. At regular intervals, in a soft voice, he replies to his interlocutor:

“The fact that you called tonight says a lot about your strength. »

“I hear your crying. »

“It is important to use your voice to denounce. »

This man hangs up about twenty minutes later, calmed down. And he takes the trouble to call back in the night, to give news and say that he feels better.

Closing imminent

If this man had called a few weeks later, he might have been silenced. Interligne’s night service should close at the end of the month for lack of funding, announced its general manager, Pascal Vaillancourt.

The organization launched a fundraiser to try to save its service. But “even if we succeed, the problem is the recurrence [du financement], explained Mr. Vaillancourt in an interview. We don’t have the means to go on a fundraising or media campaign every year. »

In total, about 10,000 interventions are carried out at night each year by the organization, according to Mr. Vaillancourt.

Existential crises, isolation, homophobia and transphobia, physical and psychological violence, substance abuse, mental health or psychiatric problems, suicide prevention: people who call at night often do so because “the straw broke the camel’s back”, notes Olivier, an employee of the organization for two years.

For him, it is obvious that the distress is more acute in the dark. “There are young people for whom it is often the only time, in their room, to open up anonymously, he illustrates. Parents too. I’ve also had big suicidal calls that last over an hour. »

Insufficient funding

In total, 22,750 contacts were established in 2021-2022 with the Interligne helpline, whether by telephone or chat, according to the organization’s latest annual report. Two out of ten calls directly affect mental health.

By way of comparison, the help line of Suicide Action Montreal, a suicide prevention organization, received 25,192 requests for help during the same period.

However, Interligne’s annual budget is well below that of other hotlines, denounces Mr. Vaillancourt.

Funding for the organization is $362,534 for 2022-2023, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) confirmed to The Press. Mr. Vaillancourt estimates that he needs the double to be able to function.

The importance of specialized services

“Services for the general population can revive homophobia or transphobia in an LGBTQ+ person,” explained Marie-Claude Gendron, director of communications for the organization, whom we met on site.

Interligne responders are therefore trained to deal with all distress calls, including suicidal crises.

According to a pan-Canadian survey conducted in 2017 by the Jasmin Roy Foundation, 13% of the Canadian population is LGBTQ+.

The MSSS indicated to The Press recognize “the importance of community organizations and their crucial role for the population”. In the process, he specified that the Info-Social 811 line and the Quebec suicide prevention line are there to meet the needs of Quebecers.

But calls to Interligne are precisely transferred by… Info-Social, notes M^me Gendron.

Salaries below the threshold

Another consequence of the organization’s chronic underfunding: meager salaries, even compared to other community organizations.

The service has about twenty workers and between 60 and 80 volunteers.

Despite a recent improvement, the entry wage at Interligne is $17 an hour, barely more than the minimum wage, which will be $15.25 an hour as of May 23, deplores Mr. Vaillancourt. . And this, even if the speakers have higher education diplomas.

An unacceptable situation, according to Mr.^me Gendron. “It’s not normal to work full time and wonder if you’ll be able to pay your rent. »